From the
Rector “They can because they think they can.” Virgil Much has been written and celebrated about leadership, but the more that is written, the more it seems to be misunderstood. To me leadership is about understanding self, personal growth and development and ultimately, contribution. Just as young people’s intellectual and emotional development happens at different times, so too does their leadership capacity. At St Andrew’s, our vision is to develop leadership capacity in all our students, so that when the opportunity arises for them, or the time is right, they will have the experience, the understanding and the self-knowledge to know how to step up. Life is a journey of discovery. Every day brings some new knowledge and enlightenment dependent upon the books we read, the people we meet, the challenges we face, the experiences we pursue. The most important part of developing leadership is to understand yourself; celebrate your talents and gifts and know your weaknesses. By surrounding yourself with others who complement who you are, you can be yourself and encourage others to be the best they can be. The greatest compliment for a leader is when the people say “we did it ourselves”. In our College, we are privileged to shape the lives of young people in their impressionable, formative years. Whether they join StAC in Years 1, 7 or 9 they will be influenced by the teachers, sports coaches, drama or music tutors and of course their peers. Even more importantly they will be shaped by their experiences. Through these experiences we want them to grow self-belief. This of course does not mean they will always enjoy success, as young people will no doubt experience failure and disappointment. With this experience they are likely to develop empathy and understand that real people of influence operate as part of a team, where everyone plays to their own strengths. As we at St Andrew’s College get ready to launch our Centenary in September
this year, we reflect upon 100 years of developing young leaders. At the start of 2016 we have celebrated our new student leaders from Year 8, Year 11 and Year 13, however we continue to remind all our young people that they are on a leadership journey. We have welcomed all our new students and staff with a mihi whakatau, honouring the talents, skills and backgrounds they bring with them to their new place of learning. We have celebrated Founders’ Day where we remember the Reverend A T Thompson and the founders of our College who showed tremendous vision and leadership in founding a Presbyterian boys’ college in the heart of Christchurch. We have honoured sporting greats from our past, Old Collegian Mr Graham Dowling, outstanding cricketer and captain of the Black Caps (1967–1972); Mr Barry Maister, Rector (1995–2001) and member of the Black Sticks (hockey) for 85 tests and gold medal Olympian from the Montreal Olympics. We have been inspired by the University of Canterbury Vice-chancellor, Dr Rod Carr – an academic, a highly successful businessman, inspirational speaker and someone who has completed 15 marathons including one on every continent. We have been challenged by one of our new staff members, Mikae Tuu’u who recently returned to StAC after his final year as a prefect in 2002. Mikae challenged us to recognise what opportunities surround us and not leave it too late to grasp what is on offer and see what we can become. I have no doubt at all that we are growing leaders of the future, people of influence who will make a positive difference to the world. How and when we will just have to wait and see!
Christine Leighton Rector
